1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a copy machine, a FAX machine, a printer, or another such image-forming apparatus, and particularly relates to a development apparatus provided thereto and a process cartridge including this development apparatus.
2. Description of the Background Art
Copy machines, FAX machines, printers, and other such image-forming apparatuses generally include development apparatuses that use a developer to develop an electrostatic latent image formed on a photo conductor or another such image support. Such development apparatuses include a developer support that supports a developer on the surface thereof in order to supply the developer to the image support, and a developer-controlling member that supplies an appropriate amount of the developer to the image support by the developer support, that is disposed next to the developer support with a space in between, and that controls the thickness of the developer on the developer support. Development apparatuses with such a configuration are disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Nos. 9-6116, 9-185261, 9-204100, 2002-229328, and the like.
However, since such a developer-controlling member is designed to scrape up the developer temporarily supported on the developer support to control the thickness of the developer on the developer support, the scraped developer remains in the development apparatus and forms a residual developer layer, or, specifically, a residual layer. In view of this, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2002-229328, for example, proposes a development apparatus that has a developer-residue controlling member disposed facing a developer support immediately upstream of a developer-controlling member in the direction in which the developer is conveyed by the developer support in order to prevent this residual layer from forming.
However, a development apparatus with such a developer-residue controlling member is subject to problems with nonuniform image concentration.